Overview

The first of its kind, this book shows that enterprises owned and managed by their own staff as cooperatives, estimated to be over 300,000 in the world and to employ over 15 million people, can be economically sustainable in the long term and substantially contribute to community development. Comprising 26 case studies, the book showcases how by providing membership and control to worker-member-owners and promoting community empowerment, worker-owned cooperatives have built sustainable businesses and fostered democratic decision-making across various sectors and geographies. The analysis emphasises the importance of education and training, capital accumulation facilitated by supportive regulatory frameworks and inter-cooperative systems (networks, agencies, federations and peer groups), and the role of worker cooperativism in promoting equality, community development and environmental sustainability. Worker and social cooperatives are well-positioned to address global challenges by promoting sustainable development, equality and community-centric solutions. Worker cooperativism has shown a strong capacity to innovate socially, but also technologically, including over the past few years, while providing high levels of employment security and welfare. The book is of great use to practitioners within the cooperative movement, in particular the worker-members of worker and social cooperatives themselves, as well as developers of such cooperatives within the cooperative movement, but also among development NGOs and social movements.

Full Product Details

9781041114277

Table of Contents

Reviews

‘Our future lies in economic democracy and equal participation, not in oligarchy and plutocracy. This major book shows why this is possible and how this can be achieved. A must read’. Thomas Piketty, Professor of Economics at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences, Associate Chair at the Paris School of Economics (PSE) and Centennial Professor of Economics in the International Inequalities Institute at the London School of Economics (LSE) ‘This book, beautifully edited by Bruno Roelants, is an important contribution that forces the reader to think. To address the grand challenges of present times, Cooperativism at Work suggests turning to an alternative economic system in which the prosocial inclination of economic agents are reinforced. The 32 authors from 15 countries provide compelling evidence that it is possible and well within our reach. Many efforts have been made in recent times to lay down the pillars of an economy based on the culture of care, true value creation and solidarity – as this book widely documents. Cooperativism at Work is a must read for all those – academicians, business leaders, policy-makers – who are convincingly interested in triggering off a deliberate process of social reconfiguration of our market economies’. Stefano Zamagni, Professor of Economics, University of Bologna, Italy ‘This important work presents case studies of worker coops around the world. Beyond providing invaluable information, it enables and stimulates crucial questions about alternative economic structures, past, present and future. Long yearned-for democratic re-organizations of workplaces are now on history's agenda, this time as worker cooperatives: preferred alternatives to capitalism's hierarchical enterprise organization’. Richard D. Wolff, Professor Emeritus of Economics, University of Massachusetts, USA

""Our future lies in economic democracy and equal participation, not in oligarchy and plutocracy. This major book show why this is possible and how this can be achieved. A must read."" Thomas Piketty, professor of economics at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences, associate chair at the Paris School of Economics (PSE) and Centennial Professor of Economics in the International Inequalities Institute at the London School of Economics (LSE) ""This book, beautifully edited by Bruno Roelants, is an important contribution that forces the reader to think. To address the grand challenges of present times, Cooperativism at work suggests to turn to an alternative economic system in which the prosocial inclination of economic agents are reinforced. The 32 authors from 15 countries provide compelling evidence that it is possible and well within our reach. Many efforts have been made in recent times to lay down the pillars of an economy based on the culture of care, true value creation and solidarity - as this book widely documents. Cooperativism at work is a must read for all those - academicians, business leaders, policy-makers - who are convincingly interested in triggering off a deliberate process of social reconfiguration of our market economies."" Stefano Zamagni, Professor of Economics, University of Bologna, Italy ""This important work presents case studies of worker coops around the world. Beyond providing invaluable information, it enables and stimulates crucial questions about alternative economic structures, past, present and future. Long yearned-for democratic re-organizations of workplaces are now on history's agenda, this time as worker cooperatives: preferred alternatives to capitalism's hierarchical enterprise organization."" Richard D. Wolff, Professor Emeritus of Economics, University of Massachusetts, USA

Author Information

Bruno Roelants is a consultant on cooperatives and international development. He is the former Director General of the International Cooperative Alliance (April 2018–February 2023). Previously, he was Secretary General of CICOPA as of 2002 and of its regional organisation CECOP CICOPA-Europe as of 2006.

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